How F-16s Will Change the Battlefield in Ukraine
A curious feature (or maybe a bug) of the war in Ukraine has been the limited use of airpower on both sides. Former U.S. Air Force general Philip Breedlove has described the air situation as one of “mutual denial”.
Russia’s air defenses are clearly effective at keeping Ukrainian aircraft away from the front, and Moscow, in the interest of not losing any more hardware in its quagmire, has been reluctant to risk its own aircraft much beyond the front line.
This is largely why this war draws comparisons to World War I — where the military fixed-wing aircraft made its debut. The whole point of airpower was to elevate the fight out of the mud and trenches.
Not surprisingly, in the absence of air power, the war has gone back to the trenches.
Despite the frozen airspace over Ukraine, Kyiv began a high-profile lobbying campaign for Western fighter jets in January, almost immediately after Germany and the U.S. said they would supply their own main battle tanks to Ukraine for the first time.
So, if the skies are locked down over much of Ukraine, how might U.S.-designed F-16 Falcons make a difference? Also, why is Ukraine asking specifically for the F-16 and not some other fourth-gen fighter like the F/A-18 Hornet?
